Reviews by ThisWangsChung:

A: Pours a completely pitch black color that never yields to the light. The head is a two finger mocha color with pretty poor retention and lacing.

S: Roasted malt, brown sugar, coffee, licorice, chocolate, wood, subtle smoke, and a little booze come together in the scent. Nothing out of the ordinary, but executed nicely.

T: The first thing I notice is how well attenuated this one is. It's not very sweet (at all) yet the booze presence is only moderate. The initial sip is heavy on roasty notes, which temporarily gives way to flavors of anise seed and coffee. The finish is fairly boozy (to the point where it burns slightly at times), but overall it has surprising drinkability for a 12.5% RIS. Faint hints of dark fruit can be tasted, and the presence of soy sauce, bitter dark chocolate, and smoke pop after several sips. General flavor is savory rather than sweet, with solid complexity and balance.

M: Here's where things disappoint slightly. I like how the big roasty presence gives it solid dryness overall, but it's lacking in body for a big stout. The dryness combined with the alcohol presence gives a nice mouthwatering sensation, though. The booze warms the body nicely, making it a great winter brew (how I wish it was still January...) While it could use a more delicate persona, I can't find much fault in its general drinkability. Low carbonation.

O: I was pleasantly surprised with this one. It bears a passing resemblance to Yeti, which is always a great thing in my mind. It's a very big beer, but it's never too bloated for its own good. Even still, it's best to share this mutha with friends. It's kind of expensive - I paid $11 for a bottle - but I'd say it's worth it if you're looking for a night-capping sipper to share with others.

More User Reviews:

A: Black as pitch. To match the horned beast portrayed on the label. Dense and creamy sandstone head expands over top the body resting for a forgotten length of time. Retracks to a filmy layer and some gentle lathery curtains close out the show.

S: The aroma is engulfed with darkly roasted barley notes of charcoal, dark chocolate, and house blend coffee. There is a touch of hop earthiness coming out as well. Not super but definitely very roasty with lots of blackened barley character.

T: I find the flavor to be bold and robust but just not all that in depth. There is significant char and roast to this with more restraint on the key notes of dark chocolate and coffee. This stout has an upper moderate amount of hop bitterness to it that constricts in tangent with some of that acrid smokiness. Has a few pine and earth elements sprinkled in. One thing I will say is this is dangerously drinkable with the ABV well hidden.

M: For a big bodied Imperial Stout this one maintains a nice creamy smooth experience across the palate. Seems soft and lighter with a good dose of bitterness to help dry out the finish. Kind of clean without much of any further impressions here.

D: Big and roasty with a nicely balanced body but lacking in much complexity. I was expecting more from this one actually. Seems every time I try to get into some Clown Shoes beers they come off a bit meh. Further research maybe required.

22oz bottle, dated 3/3/15. Pours black with a small-medium sized dark khaki head; some lacing on the glass. Noticeable tiny carbonation bubbles but the head recedes quickly. Smells of mostly roasted malt and fresh hops with some dark fruit, licorice, bitter cocoa, and molasses. The taste follows exactly with roasted malt, hops, licorice, molasses, cocoa, and dark fruit. Moderate bitterness as expected with some sweetness and subtle drying. Below average body and above average carbonation. Overall, it has a good smell/flavor intensity and the roasted malt is spot on for the style.

Despite being almost a year old it maintains a lot of character in the aroma such as dark roasted malts, a touch of smokiness, sweetness, yeast, chocolate, and a low hop profile. No alcohol for 12.5%.

Medium to full body but it is also very smooth and mellow.

The taste has the same roasted dark malt qualities as the aroma suggests, low to no booze, a touch of chocolate, but a bigger earthy bitter finis than I expected. This aged well and I didn't have to do anything but buy it on clearance.

Bought a bottle at the Beer Shop in East Longmeadow. The beer has a pure black appearance with a slightly brown, medium-thick head and lacing. Aromas are very apparent with milk chocolate, coffee, and several spices like nutmeg. Taste follows the nose with a milky, creamy mix of milk and dark chocolate with malts. The mouthfeel dimension highlights a very creamy, but oddly light and somewhat refreshing texture. Overall, this is a fantastic beer across the board.

A sleeper RIS that has won me over and become a go-to. Dark as pitch with a just thick enough mouthfeel and heavy lacing. Dark notes of earth, chocolate, espresso and hazelnut are well-balanced and come out more when the beer is warmer, when the smoky flavor also shines through. Just enough bitterness. Another hit by Clown Shoes. I see that some people have felt that this brewery has not impressed them, but I have had the exact opposite experience. I went initially with a negative bias from the first bottle for some reason and have had that completely disappear. Many of their beers are outstanding and a few have become all-time favorites... Cheers!

T - Lots of dark chocolate and charcoal bitterness, some smokiness, lingering bitter dark chocolate, some heat from the ABV, and some solvent character.

M - Very dry finish, coats the mouth with dark chocolate char and gives a little bit of a raspy feeling.

O - This could probably stand to be aged for awhile, it's a little harsh being this young. Last time I had one of these bottles I let it sit for 1.5-2 yrs. and there was too much molasses presence, one of these days I'll get it right with this beer. Not worth the $12 price tag.

Bottle dated Feb, 2015:
Pours black with a decent growth of dark tan head. The head is a little bubbly, however (not creamy). After collecting at the sides, it does cling to the glass for decent lacing.

Nose is a coffee base, but a bit of spicy heat interests me (cinnamon, ginger?). There's also some smoke, and something I perceive as lemon-which seems odd.

Taste also has a coffee roast base, but the smoke I got from the nose is much more pronounced. I do get cinnamon also, and also a hint of chili pepper (with spice). Flavor engulfs my mouth, pretty full body (thins slightly as it warms). Warmth does smooth out the experience even more than it was at the start.

Really enjoyed this beer. I'm not sure if the smoke and spice are supposed to be there, but I hope so, as I expect to buy more because of those flavors.

Had this as a nightcap last night and it's a good thing it was.Poured into an imperial nonic jet black with a thinner deep khaki colored head atop.Deep roast with a hint of smoke to go along with big sweet alcohol and dark fruit in the nose,I could tell this was gonna be a big sweet monster.First off the sweetness and dark fruit hit hard and pretty much dominated the flavors for me,sure there is some roast and bitter chocolate notes but they seemed to cower under the sweet alcohol onslaught.It's thick and coating with was nice but it took alot for me to finish this beer,is it possible for a beer to seem bigger than 12.5%ABV?....Yes.

On tap at the Oak Cafe. Jet black (the ink that spells your name)... That one's for the Thursday fans out there. A long-lasting, chunky cappuccino colored head rests quietly on top and just sits, and sits, and sits, and seems like it's never going to vanish. Lovely. Nice lacing is left along the glass from this mofo, too - overall, pretty damn pretty for a 12.5% ABV imperial stout.

Intense roast on the nose - abrasive enough to scorch your nostril hairs but delicate enough to cradle you to sleep. Burnt coffee beans, mild boozy notes, and a hint of dark fruit. I wanna say vanilla's in there, too, so I'll go ahead and say it... Vanilla's in there, too. The roast is definitely what stands out the most about this brew. Heavily burnt and charred with slight notes of ash and charcoal as well.

The first sip contains a spoonful of that deep-ass roast, only now it has a thick and syrupy robustness to it that instantly defines this beer as a classic sipper. Boozy - no bourbon, whiskey, or any kinds of rich liquor, just straight up, unabashed alcohol adding to the strength of the brew and falling just short of an annoyance. Roasted malts, oily, French roast coffee beans, mild char and ashy notes - a worm burner, no doubt.

Despite the intense amounts of bitter roast, sweetness is available in many different forms that help balance, layer, and add flavor. Creamy sweet, vanilla undertones, gritty brown sugar, and an overripe, dark prune finish. Bitter and sweet clashing like Rocky and Apollo - a fair fight that sways back and forth but remains pretty even overall. Nice body, thick and oily and borderline chewy with low and soft carbonation.

Out of the five Clown Shoes beers that were sampled this night, Blaecorn Unidragon was by far my favorite of the bunch. Sifting through reviews, I can see that it seems like many people aren't on board with copious amounts of burnt and roasty flavors, but I love it. I'll admit that this beer would be hard to drink in large amounts, both due to the intensity of the flavors as well as the ABV, but it's definitely a nice, cheap RIS to sit back and sip on a cold day.

A: Almost opaque it so dark but some light does get through showing a deep garnet and good clarity. The dark tan head looks like the creme on an excellent cup of espresso with a good retention and leaving small lacing all over the glass.

S: The aroma is a head mix of American hops, roasted malt and dark fruit. The moderately strong citrus malt blends with a moderately-strong alcohol aroma for a citrusy and spicy aroma. The malt shows a nice roasted character with some chocolate and coffee notes. The esters are of dried and dark fruits like prunes and plums.

T: Chocolate, alcohol, citrus hops, hops bitterness all compete to beat up you palate but instead just rough you up a bit. There is a dark and dried fruit flavor matching the aroma. The balance is almost firmly bitter but a light caramel and malt sweetness saves you from the dark malt ad hops bitterness.

M: A smooth medium-heavy bodied beer with a moderate carbonation. There is a significant warmth in the back of the throat, but less heat than I'd expect from +12 % ABV.

O: A complex roasty, chocolate, hoppy, bitter alcoholic beer that some how manages to not be totally in you face about any of it.